Lochend, I didn't say anything about £24bn of oil revenue - I think someone else may have. You've got me wrong if you think Independence to me is primarily about oil revenue.
Correct me if I am wrong, but you seem to be basing your argument for Scotland remaining in the UK on the fact we have a joint means of defence at present and basically it has always (for 300 years anyway) been that way? That would be what I read in to your points relating to Scandinavia and Ireland.
I'm pretty sure there are plenty of people, maybe even supporters of the Union, who wished we didn't have a joint means of defence considering some of the ventures in the recent past!
Finally, what would you say makes the Scots so different from the Irish? Ireland was once part of the same State as us until Independence, so things change. I think the argument that we should stick with the UK because its always been that way in living memory and because of good things that have happened in the past, is about as weak an argument as there is.